Charles Manson
Air
Magic Bullet Records
4.5/10
Air is the first of a four part series (ATWA – Air, Trees, Water, Animals) that is currently being released by Charles Manson on Magic Bullet Recordings. Talk about lo-fi recordings; this is the lowest of lo-fi. It sounds like he was given a $10 tape recorder, took it to his prison cell, and went at it with his guitar (and although I couldn’t find a definite answer, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was how it was recorded).
Musically, the sitting-on-a-porch blues of an acoustic guitar and vocals (both singing and spoken word) is what got me most, but with what sounded like a drunk old man just barely able to play his guitar and get his words out, this isn’t anything too special. It drags on and on and gets a little boring after a while. But the point of this album isn’t the production and recording value; it’s the subject “air,” how valuable that is and how we need to stop polluting it.
There’s not a whole lot more to say about Air. I’m more focused on the fact that he’s in prison and putting out music rather than how good the music is, but it’s obvious it’s more about the message than anything.
-Kelia Iha